Coupling.



E. H. GOLD.

COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1a. 1908.

Patented May 18, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. H. GOLD.

COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED mm; 13. 1908.

Patented May 18, 1909.

SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E. H. GOLD;

4 COUPLING. AAAAAAAAA 01v FILED JUNE 13 1908.

922,132. PatentedMay18,l909.

IlOlSyhflVG invented certain EGBERT H. GOLD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

" COUPLING.

.Speeification of Letters Patent.

- Patented-May-18, 1909.

Application fil ed June 13,1908. Serial No. 438,386.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, EGBERT H. GoLD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago,in the county ofCook and State of Illinew and useful"Infiprovements in Couplings, of which the means.

"ance with my invention.

owing is a specification. My invention relates to a coupling andparticularly to means for retaining a gasket or the like in saidcoupling, and has for 1ts object to provide a simlple, inexpensiveretaining device for the gas et which will hold it securely in thecoupling, allow it to be removed and replaced with ease, which willpresent'little or no obstruction in the passage-way through thecoupling, and which is so arranged and related to the cou ling as not tobe dislodged or disengaged if by accident any solid objectis forcedthrough the cou ling.

e -device of my invention is designed articularly for use in a steamtrain-pipe ose-coupling for railroad cars and it is one of the principalobjects of my invention to-- provide a new an improved construction forsuch hose couplers, gaskets and retaining The invention might, however,be utilized in different connections where it is necessary-to retain agasket in the end-of a cou ling or any sort of pipe.

T e invention has for further objects such other new and improveddevices, arrangements and constructionsin couplings, gasketsandretainingl devices as will be described in the fo wing specification andspecified in the claims appended thereto.

The invention, as embodied in several dif ferent forms, is illustratedin the accompanying drawings, wherein F i re l shows in longitudinalsection one In mar of a coupling constructed in accord- Fig. 2 is adetail longitudinal section at right angles to that of Fig. 1. Fig.

3 1s an inner end elevation, parts of the gasket being broken away. Fig.

; 4 is'a perspective view of the retaining device the coupler and gasketin 'tion showing the gasket disengaged. Fig. 7* s et in engageshown inthe'previous figures. Fig. 5 is a detail illustrating in exaggeratedproportions a preferred construction. Fi 6 1s a ortion of s a'SilliilfiPVlGW with the ga mentp is an end=view of the coupling I Fig.15 is a spring wire, being bent, as shown in -.vice,

ongitu inal sec-r I Fig. 9 is'a pers 'ective view" to of-the formof-retaimng device s own 1n-the thIEQPIOVIOUQfigHI'GSJ Fig. 10 isagasket section illustrating a modified form of -re- .taining device.

Fig. 11 is an end view of the same. Fig. 12 is a perspective viewof thisform of. retaining device. Fig;' 13 is alongitudinal sectionillustrating another-modification. Fig. 14 is an end view of. the same.perspective view of this form of retaining device. Fig. 16 is a furthermodification shown in longitudinal section. Fig. 17 is a sectional viewof the ring employed in the modification shown in Fig. 16. Fig. 18 is aside elevation of the gasket and retaining device of. this modification.Fig. 19 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 20 is a longitudinalsection through a couplingillustrating a further modification; and Fig.21 is an end view of the same.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figuresof the drawings.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, A represents one member of acoupler of known construction used for the coup 'n together of the hoseforming the connection lmtween. the steam train pipes on railway cars.gasket ordinari y made of rubber compound, and which is seated in arecess in the inner end of the coupling, as shown. C is a referred formof retaining device for holding the gasket in the coupling. Thisretaining device is preferably constructed out of stiff, Fig. 4, so asto form a ring 22 and the fingers 23, 24, which latter, in thisparticular form of. de-

are, in efiect, loops from ring 22. These gers are formed with bends 25and finger 24 is given a further bend, as shown at 26. Ring 23 isnormally left. open a trifle. By compressing it, it may be forcedintothe groove 27 in gasket B,-the elasticity of the metal securely holdingthe ring to. the. gasket when it has been inserted in the groove. Thecoupling is formed with an internal groove or recess 28 which formsmeans b whlch bends 25 on the fingers may frictionall y gri the in nersurface ofthe couplingn It is we known that, because of the action ofshoulders, such as theshoulder 29 groove 28, .easily becomeworntherefore, preferably make the bends 25 longer than-the width of thegroove 28, so that the'fshoulder 29 is in contact farther formed by downonthe finger than the cornerbetween the relatively straight part.and-the bend. Theuelasticity of .the fingers will, therefore,

Bis a v the steam down. I

aggerated roportions in Fig. 5, It will be having shown in .bend 26 and,1 23, 24 will give sufficiently to gives added resiliency both to thegasket engagement and the coupling engagement.

Figs. 16 to 19 inclusive illustrate a still further modification of thegasket-retaining This arrangement is shown in somewhat eX-' served t atthe retaining device has an elastic, frictional grip upon both thegasket and the coupling, although the grip on the means. This form ofdevice consists of a latter is so much ess that, under ordinarycircylindrical bushing M formed with an offset cumstances, the retainindevice will always ring 49, which fits into a corresponding recess ingasket N. The inner en of the cylinder is slit so as to form a pluralityof fingers 50, which fingers are formed with bends 51 which fit into agroove 52 in coupler O. This form of device, therefore, consists of aring enga ing the gasket, from which project a plura ity of fingers thesame as the devices of some of the previous figures, but in this casethe form of the device is ad'a particular material used, whic metalrather than the wire of the previously described forms. The deviceoperates on thesame principle. In order to'reinforce the grip of thefingers on the coupling, I prefor to supplement the fingers with a splitring 53.

A further modification of my gasket-retaining device is shown in Figs.20 and 21. In this case gasket P is formed with both remain in the gaskWhen it is desired to remove the gasket from' the cou ler, any hookedinstrument may be hooke through by giving a sharp pull, fingers edisengaged from the coupler. I In this arrangement the retaining deviceoffers practically no obstruction to the passage-way through thecoupling. The bends 25 fit into-the groove 28, so that they cannot bedislodged if, as often happens, a body of solid matter, such as a pieceof rubber hose, is driven through the coupling by the force of thesteam.

In Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 I have shown a modified form of retaining devicetogether with a modified construction of coupling. The retaining deviceD in this case consists of a ring member 30, a little more thansemi-circular, the ends of which are bent to form fingers-31, 32 havingbends 33, the end of the ring member at 31 being bent out to form a loo34 to make an attachment by which the as et can be removed. from' thecoupling.

he ring member is sprung-into a groove 35 in gasket E, the bends 33engaging with the shoulder 36 formed by the roove 37 in coup-. ling F.The edges of shou der 36 are preferably beveled as shown. ,The couplingshown in these figures illustrates a preferred construction, whereby thegasket is more easily forced into engagement with the coupling, the sameconstruction in this respect being a feature of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive,although there not so clearly shown, As ap cars from Fig. 6, which showsthe gasket a out to be pushed into the coupler, the fingers 31, 32 arenot begun to be flexed until the gasket has entere the recess 38 in theend of the coupling; The gasket is, therefore, guided in its furt ermovement inwardly, which facilitates the flexing of the spring fingers.

Figs. 10 to 12. inclusive illustrate another modified form ofgasket-retaining device G, which consists, as it is manufactured, 'of abowed portion 39 and the spring fingers 40 I the bends. 41. The deviceis expanded into groove 42 of gasket H by flattening theFbowed portionwith a hammer, as

ig. 10. Y

Figs. 13, 14 and 15- illustrate another modlfied form of gasket-retainindevice. The retaining device J consists o the two arcuate portions 43connected together by the cross-piece 44, which has the loop 45, theends of the wire being bent to form the fingers 46'. The curved parts 43seat in recesses 47 in gasket K, the fingers engaging wlth thegroove-.48 in coupling L. Loop 45 is sheet inner surface to receive thecurved members 54 and the fingers 55 of-the retaining device Q, thefingers having the bends 56 which engage in the groove 57 in thecoupling R. Curved members 54 are connected by a crosspiece 58 which hasthe loop. 59 'ving resiliency to the retaining device an also afiordingmeans by which the device may be engaged in order to remove the gasketfrom the cou ling.

fications shown the retaining device consists of means for engaging theinner surface of the gasket by a frictional enga ement, this meansconsisting preferably 0 an elastic rin or partial ring; and of flexiblefingers which roject from the ring device and enage with the innersurface of the coupling, which is preferably recessed for this purpose.In the preferredformsthe retaining device is so constructed and arrangedas to constitute substantially no obstruction in the assage-way throu hthe coupling and gaset. Preferably a so means are provided .for theattachment of a hooked instrument to the gasketretainer for removing thegasket from the coupling. In articular, the enga ement of the retainingevice with the coup ing is such that there is no part protru ing intothepassage-way. This is imortant in practice because in. a couplinganging from frequently happen that the retaining device, if itobstructed the passage-way through the coupling at this oint, would beforced out of engagement with the coupling by a piece of .hose or othersolid matter being forced through the coupling by escaping steam or theend of a train it might ted to the transverse and longitudinal grooveson its It wil be observed that mall the modi- I i water. The crosswires, which are features of certain forms of my retaining device,

' out this it would be difficult to flex the spring fin ers, as therewould be a tendency of the gas et to rock or slip.

I do not limit myself to the particular devices, constructions andarrangements herein shown, as modifications thereof could be made whichwould come within the scope of my invention.

I have used the term coupling in the claims, but intend the word to betaken in a broad signification. Broadly speaking, the word covers notonly a device for connecting rubberhose, but the end portion of any pipeor conduit designed to be coupled up with some other pipe or conduit. j

I have designated the part of the retainer which-engages the gasket 1ncertain preferred embodiments of my invention as a ring device. Thispart of the device does not, in any of the forms, form a completecircumference, but engages with such a ortion of the inner circumferenceof the as et as to have a irolper hold upon the gas et.

0 arm: 1. The combination with a coupling and a gasket, of a retainingdevice for the gasket consisting of a sin le wire bent so as to form' anengaging member for the gasket, and a spring finger extending atsubstantially right angles to the plane of the engaging member adaptedto engage with the inner surface of the coupling.

2. The combination with a coupling and a gasket, of a retaining devicefor the gasket consisting of a sin le wire bent so as to form an engagmgmem er for the gasket, and a spring finger extending at substantially riht angles to the plane of the engaging mem%er for engaging the innersurface of thecou ling and so formed as to constitute a loop W ereby theasket and retaining device may be removed from the coupling.

-3. The combination with a coupling and a gasket, of a retaining devicefor the gasket consisting of a single piece of wire bent so as to form aring device, and s ring fin ers rojecting from the ring at su stantia yr1ght angles to the plane thereof and having bends.

4. The combination with a coupling and a gasket, each having an internalgroove, of a retaining device for the gasket. comprising a single wirebent so as to lie in one of said grooves, and fingers projecting fromthe loop at substantially right angles to the lane thereof and providedwith bends Whic extend into the other groove. 5. The combination with acoupling and a gasket, of a retaining device for-the gasket comprisingamember adapted to engage the gasket, and separate spring fingers adaptedto frictionally and impositively engage the coupling inwardly of tfingers being provided with a bend extending into the bore of thecoupler by which the gasket can be removed, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a coupling and a gasket, of .a retaining devicefor the asket composed of a single wire bent so as to orm a split ringto engage the inner surface of the gasket, and sprin fingers standingsubstantially at right ang es to the plane of the-ring for engaging theinner surface of the coupler.

7. The combination with a coupling and a gasket, of a retaining devicefor the asket composed of a single wire bent so as to form a e gasket,one of said split ring to en age the inner surface of the gasket, springngers standing substantially at right angles to the plane of the ringfor engaging the inner surface of the coupler, and a bend projectinginto the bore of the coupler,

whereby the gasket and retaining device may be removed, substantially asdescribed.

EGBERT H. GOLD.

